Pours a very middle of the road copper color, looks like an IPA, makes a fuffly cloud of head. American strong ale is such a vague category BJCP category, meh. Is this to style? sure, why the hell not.

Aroma is weird, like breakfast... seriously, this smells like fresh toasted bread or even pancakes hot off the griddle. There's some nutty character in there too. Light roasty caramel, subtle hints of citrus hops linger in the background, mostly subdued by toast.

Has an assertively sweet flavor all around, apricot & mandarin oranges, green raisin, nutty, but this was much better fresh... which is kind of a bummer because I didn't care for it too much fresh due to some powdery notes from excessive amarillo hops.

A: Pours a hazy deep golden color with a thick, off-white head, which remains for a good amount of time, but doesn’t leave very much lace on the glass.

S: The smell isn’t very strong, but you detect citrus & malt first, then you get a decent whiff of hops.

T: Hops flavor and bite prevails from beginning to end, not a lot of sweetness but there’s a bit of malt and citrus and it definitely has the Stone signature. Seems like an IPA, but I’ve yet try Stone’s IPA to compare it.

M: Very crisp, medium body. The carbonation is a bit on the high side.

D: Let’s face it, this beer is from Stone Brewing Co. so you really can’t “forget” that you’re drinking beer. However this beer is drinkable from the standpoint that you KNOW that you’re drinking good beer.

I enjoyed this beer, but like I mentioned previously I haven’t had the Stone IPA to compare it to, nor have I had any of their other anniversary ales to know if they trend towards the IPA realm each year. That being said, I’ve never been disappointed by Stone. (1,094 characters)

Just around 6 months of age on this one. Pours a light hazy peachy color with a chunky 3 finger head that leaves incredible lace as it recedes. Nose is still dominated with earthyand lightly citrus hop aromas, sitting over a chunky caramel and almost apircot and raisin fruity sweetness. Flavor is not working for me. The alcohol is definately dominant in the flavor, really getting in the way of other flavors here. Behind it, there are earthy aged hop flavors that mix with light caramel and raisin, but not to form something that I am happy with. The flavor is not working for me. The finish is moderately bitter, but a little more harsh that I would like. Feel is moderate with a carbonation that is on the light end of moderate. This one is not holding up well with age. I'd have to say this one is past its prime, so either drink it now and cut your losses or hold in and see if it has a second coming. (908 characters)

Poured from the bomber into a tulip glass the beer was a light copper color with three fingers of fluffy white head and lots of carbonation bubbles streaming up the sides of the glass. Excellent lacing throughout the sample as well.

The smell was of hops and slight malt. Pine, orange and other citrus and flowery aromas.

The hops great the palate first with a floral blast of bitterness with sublte orange, grapefruit, and assorted citrus flavors. Bitter to the end of each sip but also smooth and some what balanced to the finish. Alcohol is apparent and becomes more so as the beer warms slightly. Crisp to the finish and highly carbonated.

Medium body with bright crisp carbonation.

This beer was enjoyable but certainly not earth shattering. Balance favored the hops (like just about all Stone beers). At times, hop flavor just overpowering everything else leading to some balance issues for me, but overall the beer was drinkable and enjoyable. The alcohol makes itself known as the sample goes on and tends to really "kick in" just as the bomber finishes. (1,074 characters)

You can't miss the orange in this beer with the white froth on top. It looks like an orange creamsicle.

The smell is like an aged orange rind. Slightly sweet but like it has been sitting out a bit, dulling the smell a tad.

As always, really good hops in this one. They give you a bitterness that definitely doesn't purse your lips. Hoppy, for sure but not as much as some other stones. The hops change and become smoother as it warms but you definitely can't ignore them. The spicy orange rind is there, too.

The alcohol content is high and very noticeable. You get some of it in the taste and with a bottle this size, one can hit you pretty quick so having more than one is not so certain if you want to keep your wits.

Pours red and golden with an enormous dish soap head with small dots of lace on the glass.
Aroma of citrus, little bit of caramel and a perfumy, slightly soapy aroma.
Flavor of dark citrus, a little bit of dark malt and a hint of mediciney alochol.
Mouthfeel is sort of dry and somewhat abbreviated. Not unpleasant just rather bland.
Drinkability is very average. Easily the least attractive Stone brew that I've had. I'll chalk it up to being very young for the style but just doesn't seem to have the depth of character that I expect from Stone products. (560 characters)

I'm a big Stone drinker so I may be a little biased, but I was thoroughly impressed with this beer. Not sure what it is classified as but sure smelled/tasted like an IPA to me. Great hoppy, floral smell to it that you can tell they emphasized more on the finishing (cascade?) than the bittering hops on this bad boy. The alcohol % sneaks up you too. With such a crisp golden color and taste you'd never know this was over 7%. I honestly enjoyed it more than Stone's IPA and Ruination. If you can get your hands on some, give her a pour. (536 characters)

Poured from a one pt bottle. Colour is a hazy pale light orange. A Very nice head, and the smell is wonderfull. First taste was somewhat surprising, as it was a bit more bitter than I had expected. Though, I could live off of Stone's Ruination, so that's not exactly a bad thing.

Nice finish, leaves a bit a of a coating, much like a nice Spanish red will. Very lip smacking, and easy to drink.

Picked up a bomber back in September for $4.79 from AJ's. Brew poured a golden color with a nice 2 finger head that is sustaining very well. Nose is malty and of floral hops. Taste starts with a good dose of malts and finishes with a blast of hops. The style was initially hard to put my finger on it but I have concluded this is a turbo charged ESB. Mouthfeel is full and nice and lively on the palate. Overall drinkabilty is very good as the abv is very well blended. This brew is a nice change of pace from one of my favorite breweries! (539 characters)

Brought home a 750ml bottle which got slightly agitated in transit. This of course, stirred the sediment on the bottom a bit so I opted to let it sit a few days to settle (it settled a little). I don't recall any other Stone brews having quite this much sediment, and I've tried them all (except the Epic series which I drank the first 2 years, still sittin on the last 3).

Enoughf of that, un-capped pours a light gold ale with hues of amber. Not as dark as I was expecting. It has a thick frothy head that sticks around for sometime, leaving a nice sticky lacing behind, real nice looking stuff!

When I popped this thing open and took a wiff, the hops jumped out and bit me on the nose, literally. This was a bit more subtle after being poured yet still piney fresh hoards of sticky hop, a little orange peel and a note of yummy malt bringing up the rear.

Taste: same as smell, see above. Actually not quite as powerful as it smelled, just a hoppy, citrusy, super tasting ale with plenty of alcohol to warm your being.

Smooth, clean rinse mouthfeel with a hop bitter, semi sticky finish as you send it down the hatch...oooh,refreshing!

This is a highly drinkable ale, more so if your a hop-head (which I am) ;-) (1,228 characters)

Slightly hazy golden body with a medium rocky beige head. Good lacing. Strong hoppy aromas with citrus dominating. A bit of a resiny bitterness, some piney characteristics, and a sweet fruit element. A grain astringency lies underneath. Taste is dominant on the alcohol. Alcohol seems to come in right at the start. A bit of a fruity sweetness like pears and pineapples come in. Pear brandy flavors. A wheaty flavor dries it out a bit along with some bitterness. The hop flavors from the aroma seem to be lacing in flavor and are almost stuck to the malts. Alcohol is strong but I don't think will age too well since the hops seem to be a diminished already. The sweetness really does coat the mouth and the beer stays with you for some time. A slightly heavy beer and one that doesn't have a lively carbonation. Decent all around but a bit overwhelming, esp for a wheat beer. (876 characters)

22 ounce bottle, with the usual wordy print. Pours a beautiful orange-amber color with a thick head. Pretty highly carbonated, with a notable haze. Huge aroma of alcohol, toasted malt, and citrusy, oily, resiny hops. I love the smell of this brew, especially its intensity. The taste is powerfully complex lots of fruit (orange, peach, apple), toasted malt, alcohol, spice, sugar, and a subtle woodiness. Plus, lots and lots of hops this brew gets seriously bitter by the mid taste, and had a no-nonsense bitter finish. The aftertaste hangs around forever. Considerable alcohol warming. Medium-full mouthfeel. Nice balance, although tilted toward the hops. Very drinkable. The alcohol on this one can give you a kick. All in all, this one is a keeper. (753 characters)

Pours out to a clear but slightly hazy orange copper, forming a rocky and creamy off-white head with superior retention and very nice chunky lacing. Carbonation is medium-strong. The aroma is brimming with sweet orange-tinged juicy hops. I am really starting to love Crystal hops, and as always, that Amarillo has that beautiful skunky tinge to it. The mouthfeel is moderately dense and syrupy for a beer of this color. Coats the entire palate and leaves a sheen in the back of the mouth. The taste is punctuated by hops galore...there is a marked sweetness but not unpalatable and the bitterness is medium-light. Lingering resinous pine notes with a smidge of higher alcohols towards the tail-end. As it warms, orange intensifies, but isopropyl's definitely pop out and hamper it's drinkability. (994 characters)

Gots me a 22oz bomber, with Sep '05 painted on the label.... Into my Imperial pint glass she goes... a striking golden/apricot hued bier... has a touch of haze, but not a whole lot. Carbonation within is voluminous and steady, heading topside. Head it forms is frothy, with a light eggshell color. A few larger sized bubbles are interspersed amongst the plethora of fine foam, which is a solid 1/4" and holding... slowly but slowly ebbs, yet still covers the brew, with very nice lacing being left behind. Aroma has a touch o' toasty malt, with citrussy, rindy notes as well. Overall, a bit light coming forth. Body is a pleasing medium-plus, with a smooth, creamy passage over the tongue.

As far as flavor goes, some sugary sweetness initially hits the palate, with more toasty, yet light, malty notes appearing. Following forthwith are citrus-hop characteristics... plus some fruity aspects encompassing a bit of tangerine and cantaloupe. Has a bit of a resiny component as well, which nicely coats the oral cavity. Tasty stuff. Some alcohol-induced warmth hits the innards of the torso, but doesn't bowl you over. Very pleased by the quaffing of this bier. It works quite well.

Light orange/copper in color, it's somewhat cloudy and pours leaving a very small head that dissipates in a hurry. The smell is a nice balance of sweet malt and dank hops. Taste has a light sweetness up front, then is dominated mostly by herbal hops. There is some subtle spiciness here also. The hops really override this beer, and with this much hop flavor I expected a strong bitter finish, however the bitterness remained low. The beer has a medium thickness, adequate carbonation, and is pretty smooth. Very hoppy, but for me this kind of ruined it. The hops tasted a little funky to me, and it just didn't add up. I think it's still a unique beer and worth a try though. (676 characters)

Appearance - straw colored pour with a tint of red. Dense foamy head settles unevenly and sticks to the glass. A casual but busy bead level from below.

Aroma - deep aroma of pine and pineapple, smells sweet. Intense aroma reaches me as it sits off to the side.

Taste - a sweet, hoppy start. Bitterness is immediate but light to moderate, allowing more of the floral aspect of the hop to come through. The citrusy part is temporary though, and at the swallow the beer becomes more intensely bitter, all hops now. In true Stone style, the aftertaste and finish are a hop-filled mutha. It doesn't blast the taste buds like Ruination but it'll wake 'em up! With a little acclimation it starts to go down a little smoother than normal. Mmmm...

Mouthfeel - oiled up to a nice smoothness, it glides down as if on Autopilot.The carbonation is lively and the body is a bit big.

Drinkability - gets better as it gets warmer, for sure, and becomes quite the enjoyable glass of suds. (983 characters)

Taste- Lots of tropical fruit flavor. Orange zest in particular. Pretty heavy in the hop dept.as well. Spicy with some confectioniers sugar and maybe a touch or corriander. Maybe on the lines or a tripel? Although, this is a tad similar to El Toro Yo, which is a Strong Ale, so maybe it's correct.

Slightly smeared medium golden yellow color with a medium white cap of froth that breaks down into a landscape of bubbled rockyness. Big sheet of lace coats all around the glass. This looks damn nice.

Hmmm...not a typical waft from Stone, a bit restrained here with a melony citrus of orange and lemon and some light wheaty snap behind it.

Taste is broad and withstanding in a short bittering but long oily hoppyness. Quite exquisite really. It seems quick at first but begins to lay the groundwork for a full-on citrusy construction on your palatable property. Orangey fluff, peels, piths, and pulp skip quickly into a short entrance of the wheat malt that seems very high rendered in flour, dryness, and partially parched in chalkyness. Thankfully and craftly, that area is just as brief as any other in this brigade of quickly happening nuances. Wow! The oily stuff, as mentioned above, begins to float forward in the finishing areas after every sip. So danty, yet obvious. Citrusy oils, hop squeezed bite, and peel-like girth, substain for a long duration of hinting grasses, more so hinting citrus pith, and high grain malt. Wonderfully complex hop profile along its length; which seems short at first, but alas, it grows and grows, from sip to sip. Somehow drying, yet oily and pungent. Sublime.

Feel is about medium, if not all together a slight lightish; somewhat. But man does it grow on ya quickly. Yeah, quickly as its very own hoppy characteristics and dryly set base of citric hops and malting. What a strangely awesome beer? Like Clint Eastwood, it's every way but loose. Tightly set in hops with drying parchness, hop citrusy tricks, and a fairly calm bitterness that just suits its overall ride through finishville.

I could drink this for a good long while. Everything about it screams...have fun, enjoy some hops, and get pummeled by our strategicly placed alcoholic punch. Uff-da, Stone knows me too well. Fine stuff! (1,947 characters)

Pours out an amber-gold with a finger and a half eggshell white head; Fairly clear, perhaps just a bit of haze. The head fades after a few moments, leaving a nice wall of clingy tiny lace bubbles in its wake, and a very thin but complete covering.

Steaming hot biscuits with fresh honey in the nose, nice and fresh and sweet malts - there's a sleek, subdued but very Stone prescence of hops there too, tart and fruity.

A big tart swirl, followed by a very sleek little dance of honey, butterscotch and biscuits, and a definite hop kick to finish it off, grapefruity and balancing properly with its bitterness. Pretty tasty. The impression that I get is that this is a recipe between Stone's Pale Ale and their IPA - it's hoppy enough to be tasted, but in the end this beer is all about the malts, and they're cool enough to let the hops crash the party.

A slightly syrupy mouthfeel here, just a bit of swishy carbonation to make things interesting; It finishes relatively clean, with a few dollops of lingering honey on the back of the tongue.

Definitely drinkable. There really isn't anything about this beer that would make me pick it out over any other of Stone's various creations, but it's certainoly a tasty seasonal. (1,235 characters)

Pale gold. Off white head that holds pretty well and leaves nice lacing. mmm, hops that would make Amarillo, Texas proud. Floral & citrus hops are laid on pretty thick..and there is a biscuity malt flavor that helps smooth things out. Great hop character and nice smooth finishing bitterness. Finally an Anniversary Ale with some up-front hops..the pale malt is there to provide some support, but it knows who the boss is, and it's not Tony Danza (or even Mona) in this case.
I thought this was right on par with their 8th Edition, and I'll be looking forward to their Decade release. (618 characters)